A singer-songwriter, beauty queen, mother and former cancer sufferer has written a charity song to help raise funds for a cancer charity.

A new Taco Bell restaurant will open in Stafford later this month with free tacos for the first 100 customers.

A former alcoholic and drug addict has completed an epic challenge of running 70 triathlons for charity - adding up to a staggering 4,921 miles.

More information is set to be made available to residents and businesses about how a major sporting event will affect them.

A motorist has been given a six-month prison sentence after lying about not being the driver of a car caught speeding.

Services started later than normal today as trains were delayed leaving depots due to the industrial action.

The boss of Resorts World Arena says he would be honoured to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest – and has cleared the schedule to make sure it is ready.

Reporters Without Borders carried out an investigation into the deaths of photojournalist Maks Levin and a serviceman who accompanied him.

The last remaining plot of land in a prime Jewellery Square location in Birmingham has been sold to one of the country's leading small and medium-sized property developers.

The rate of inflation has soared in recent months,.

The PA news agency answers 10 key questions about what passengers should expect.

The family of a teenager who died after being stabbed have launched a foundation in his memory aimed to fund emergency bleed control kits to help tackle knife injuries.

Private landlords across the West Midlands are facing up to dramatic changes in the way they operate.

Wolverhampton will get its share of glitter and sequins on Sunday when Strictly Come Dancing's new theatre show arrives in town.

The 'fascinating' history behind a stately home on the border of Shropshire and Staffordshire has been captured in a new book.

A new ‘Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield’ brand has been launched by local business leaders, with the ambition to encourage more people to choose the Royal town’s centre as a destination to work, study, shop and enjoy.

A cricket team has been kitted out ready to hit the opposition for six at a tournament thanks to donations.

An exhibition which documents the journey of migrants to the UK will be launched at the University of Wolverhampton.

The acclaimed Birmingham Indian Film Festival is returning this week and has announced its festival programme - and all films will be shown with English subtitles.

The demolition of an historic former primary school in Wolverhampton has begun, with a modern technology academy due to be built in its place.

Eerie photographs show how a historic building which was once crucial to Walsall’s night-life scene has fallen into a poor state.

Firefighters tackled a blaze at a residential property in Burntwood.

A Kidderminster motorist has been given a six month prison sentence after being found guilty of Perverting the Course of Justice.

A man has been arrested in connection with a series of drain cover thefts in Staffordshire.

The home of pies in Sandwell has been taking to social media to entice world champion boxer Tyson Fury to partake of the pie named after him.

The Prime Minister told Cabinet any concessions to Russian president Vladimir Putin would be a ‘disaster’.

Shropshire born and bred Alex Freudmann will be joining retail giant M&S as managing director of food.

A Cannock man has been jailed for six months for begging and carrying an offensive weapon.

The family of a former company director who died from an overdose of prescribed painkillers is suing the hospital where she was treated.

Neglected wasteland which has become a magnet for drugs and fly-tipping in Walsall will be transformed into a new housing development after plans were approved.

Former Wolves defender Roger Johnson has lost a High Court damages claim against an experienced knee specialist over an alleged “surgical error”.

A ‘disgraceful’ proposal to transform a disused old Walsall library into new homes has been thrown out by planners.

The Prime Minister stressed the need for ‘fiscal discipline’ to avoid further stoking rising costs.

One of the packaging sector’s fastest growing companies is targeting further expansion after making two high-profile appointments.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of drugs offences after his vehicle was stopped in Lichfield.

Police are appealing for information after a man indecently exposed himself in Kinver.

A small quantity of cannabis plants have been found at a property in Walsall.

Train services in the Black Country and Staffordshire have been decimated as the first day of the biggest rail strike in 30 years gets under way.

A former West Mercia Police officer is to appear in court charged with sexual assault by touching.

The man leading the inquiry into the jailed postmasters scandal says gagging agreements with the Post Office will not be enforced.

The roads are expected to be a lot busier this week as a result of the biggest rail strike in 30 years, and motorists are set to be faced with fresh roadworks too.

The cost of living crisis is coming at all of us "like a speeding train from which we have no obvious means of escape" a supermarket boss has warned.

A shop in Wolverhampton caught repeatedly selling alcohol to under 18s is to have its licence reviewed by council bosses.

Ten years ago, the Express & Star embarked on a Black Country Census.

A stage used for outdoor concerts in a park near Wolverhampton has been torched by vandals – just days after it was refurbished especially for a large community fun day planned for this weekend.

A fire at a previously used care home in Walsall was started deliberately, West Midlands Fire Service has announced.

A bar in Wednesbury continued to serve drinks over the same bar where a bleeding man was slumped having just been seriously stabbed, it was claimed at a licensing hearing.

There were cancellations, delays and disruption for passengers on one of the busiest railway lines in the country as rail staff began a strike.

More than 30 firefighters successfully extinguished a "severe blaze" at an old residential care home in Pleck, Walsall.

People can have a say on refurbishment plans for a mental health hospital for older adults in West Bromwich.

A bitter blame game continued today as Britain’s rail network was thrown into chaos by strike action.

An MP is calling on the Government to get to grips with backlogs after it emerged that barely half of constituencies have an active court in operation.

Swimming pools in Staffordshire and the surrounding areas could struggle amid a reported shortage of chlorine.

Two men were injured in a crash on the M54 this morning which closed both lanes of the carriageway.

A generous family has made a donation to support medical researchers in their early careers at the University of Wolverhampton, in memory of their sister who died in childhood.

A bereaved woman whose father died in March two years ago, and whose funeral fell on the day lockdown was announced, has achieved an ambition to have a memorial bench installed at Bushbury Cemetery in Wolverhampton.

“Harris Hawks are bone idle by nature. He knows I’ve got the food. He knows I’ll reward him just for chasing them.”

A Cannock play area that hasn't been updated for more than two decades is set to be revamped to enable more youngsters to enjoy it.

A musician who has performed at the Olympics and Buckingham Palace visited a Great Wyrley School to help them celebrate diversity day.

Playing fields in Bilston rescued from the clutches of developers are now to be given a new lease of life following a public consultation.

A major £20 million plan for Halesowen would see a new state-of-the-art college campus built to bring students into the town and improved public transport links.

Self storage group Safestore, which has sites in Quarry Bank, Oldbury and Wednesbury, delivered a strong trading performance in the six months to the end of April.

Packaging group DS Smith has reported strong growth in profits and sales for the year to the end of April.

A West Midlands restaurant has reached the final of the AA's national wine awards.

The Government is reportedly poised to ease rules to allow unaccompanied Ukrainians under-18s fleeing the Russian invasion to come to the UK.

Leftfield, represented jointly by Savills and Harris Lamb, has brought to market Leftfield Park, Walsall, a speculative industrial development.

Water safety specialist Nant is growing its team of engineers after a successful first year of its gas servicing department.

Plans for a new railway station outside Wolverhampton city centre and works at the old Ironbridge Power Station have hit a setback after the schemes missed out on government funding.

Dudley Council leader Patrick Harley said he would continue to speak out for the borough’s electorate after the authority’s standards committee found he was disrespectful to a police chief.

A Staffordshire town centre pub has developed a weekly place for Ukrainians and their hosts to meet together.

A further £1 million will been ploughed into the region's gigafactory project in a bid to attract global investors.

So who is to blame for today’s rail strike?

A sculptor and artist has spoken of his pride at his latest work taking pride of place outside a railway station.

A competition to find Staffordshire's best-kept village has a new sponsor.

A teacher from Stafford has written a children's book, dedicated to her late father, about the special bond between a daughter and her father.

The industrial action, which will see tens of thousands of rail workers walking out from Tuesday, will clash with some A-level and GCSE exams.

A Kidderminster employment agency is finding Ukrainian refugees work.

Businesses across Dudley borough are being urged to ‘aim for gold’ and receive support to help grow their enterprise.

Young adults leaving care and refugees will be able to get a discount at Cannock Chase leisure centres are part of changes to the concession scheme.

Four neighbours in Dudley have got their week off to a winning start after netting £30,000 each thanks to their postcode.

A Sandwell author with autism has released his first book to coincide with a campaign to help businesses become more autism friendly.

Chief Treasury secretary Simon Clarke insisted the Government would not intervene in negotiations.

Local community leaders are being sought to be rewarded for their work with Commonwealth Games tickets.

With no cure for Alzheimer’s, an early diagnosis allows patients to access help and support.

As a week of commuting chaos looms over the country, train passengers in the Black Country are divided in opinion on whether the train strikes are justified.

A jury is deliberating whether brothers Connor and Michael Goodwin are guilty of murdering Anthony Sergeant.

Thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Cannock Chase Council is celebrating Armed Forces Day with a free community fun day.

Police are still working to identify human remains found in woodland in Walsall.

New companies and brands have continued to sign up as providers for the Commonwealth Games.

Britain’s train operators have released plans for their altered services in a week set to be marked by the largest industrial action in the rail sector for 30 years.

Two caffeine-lovers waited outside a new restaurant for sixteen hours in a bid to win a promotional prize - a year's supply of coffee.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister was resting at home after going under general anaesthetic at a London hospital.

Taxi drivers and company bosses are preparing for a deluge of calls to help people get to work because of rail strikes this week.

More than 1,000 staff, clients and family and friends enjoyed a free day out with all the fun of the fair, thanks to the generosity of Nick Horton, owner of Select Lifestyles, based in Oldbury.

Former Big Brother contestant Pauline Bennett has launched her own online radio station.

A man has been banned from a number of supermarkets, including every Tesco store in Worcestershire, after his behaviour caused "significant" distress.

A popular science festival is set to return for two days of activities for all ages.

The final part of the Queen's Baton Relay has begun as the baton makes its way towards the United Kingdom.

The biggest rail strike in 30 years will start tomorrow when more than 40,000 workers stage a walkout.